This bar cookie is well known amongst 50+ year old WASP’s or their offspring. An olde Englishy favourite, and a nice break from the typical fatty, sugary Christmas cookies.
Dates, walnuts, dough and some other stuff.
A hearty, healthy, and tasty bar type of cookie. Not too sweet, unless you like it like that, I’m not going to judge.
I personally find date squares to be too gooey and date-y. These are nicer.
You will need:
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup dates (or 2/3rd’s of a package of pressed dates. I personally find the full package to be too much, ymmv.)
- A small amount of confectioners sugar (aka Icing Sugar), maybe a large spoonful.
Nice and simple huh?
First – gently and lightly toast the walnuts and let them cool. 5-10 minutes on 300 degrees should do it. You want to be able to smell them, but not see them change colour.
Chop your dates. I advise using scissors. They’re sticky buggers. To give you an idea of how finely chopped – each date should be cut into approx three pieces. No need to chop the walnuts. I like big nuts myself.
Mix the butter and sugar until it turns white-ish, add in eggs and vanilla and mix well again.
Pre-sift the flour, I cannot stress this enough. Your flour sat in a warehouse, on a truck then on a shelf for God knows how long and has settled. You sift the flour to have an accurate measure. If you do not have a sifter (get one they’re fun!), at least use a colander to loosen it up. Colander is fancy talk for spaghetti strainer. After sifting measure out the flour – not before.
Combine flour, baking powder (not soda!) and salt.
Stir in butter mixture.
Gently fold in walnuts and dates. If you stir too ardently the dates kinda melt – you do not want that. The bigger your walnuts the less stirring which is another reason not to chop them.
Place in a large 14″ x 9″ buttered pan.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a knife stabbed into the centre comes out dry.
Let cool for 15 minutes then shake the confectioners sugar over top like it’s snowing. This is where a sifter comes in handy again. If the sugar disappears, wait 5 more minutes until it’s cooler.
Cut while warm. Stored in a tin they will last over a week.
Do not share the corner pieces, they’re the best!
The only question we’re left with… why are they called ‘Chinese’ Chews? the only reasonable explanation I can come up with is that dates were once considered exotic and Chinese was the label they got.
Suggested wine paring – a nice sherry.
